Former logo of American Idol from 2002 to 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some people were surprised at Jessica Sanchez’s near-elimination from Fox’s hit show, American Idol, but I sadly was not. Don’t get me wrong – I’m an admirer of her singing ability, and as a fellow Filipina-American, there is an immediate affinity. But having hired thousands of people over 15 years of recruiting, I’ve seen many times when the star candidate or obvious frontrunner falls short in the interview process. From what I’ve seen on Idol this season, Jessica made three key mistakes a lot of star candidates make that cost them the offer and may cost Jessica the win:

Picking the wrong things to highlight. Of the thousands of available songs out there, Jessica selected a lesser-known one. Instead of having an immediately relatable connection to start with (yes, we both know this song!), she started with a gap between her and her audience. Candidates do this all the time when they pick projects or accomplishments to highlight that bear little relevance to the prospective employer. You have years of experience and multiple projects to choose from, so what you choose to highlight must represent you well (Jessica did this) AND must resonate with the prospective employer (“Stuttering” did not). A real-life example: I recently coached a manager-level supply chain candidate interviewing for a chemical company. When asked for a quantitative example, he talked about a statistics project. Bad choice because his role didn’t require statistics, but rather more finance and accounting. Not all songs are equal. Not all quantitative examples are equal. You want to pick based on who you’re singing to or interviewing with.

Forgetting who the decision-makers are. The judges appreciate Jessica’s performances, and her song interpretation plays to what they like – for example, holding back instead of belting as expected. But the competition is decided by mainstream audience, not judges, and they might not notice or care for the nuance. In the job market, many candidates don’t identify and play to the decision-makers. It’s not enough to showcase your qualifications and experience and assume that people will appreciate it. Star candidates have great backgrounds and sometimes rest too much on their laurels. You still have to relay these great attributes in a way that engages the decision-makers. This means you have to know who is making the decision so you can frame your message in their perspective. Many times the decision is made by a team. You need to play to multiple perspectives. Many times the decision is made by junior and senior people. You have to make your sell accessible across a spectrum of people.

Underestimating the importance of likeability. When I saw that playful segment of Joshua and Holly, with Jessica sitting to the side, I started to panic for her. She’s already so quiet, with almost no backstory (what, no cute pets? No life crisis to share?), the segment just reiterated how little rapport she generates outside of her singing. If you have two qualified candidates, and one is less qualified but more likeable than the other, that less qualified candidate will win. I’ve seen this happen again and again, more often in fact than the other way around. People hire people. We all want to work with people we like. It isn’t about hiring our best friend who is clueless over a genius we don’t know. Whatever the judges say about Holly, she can sing. She’s the lesser qualified but still qualified more likeable candidate.

You might be a great candidate, but your background will not speak for itself. You still need to highlight the right things that your prospective employer cares about. You still need to frame your message to the specific decision-makers of your hire, not just anyone in the company. You still need to develop rapport and be likeable.

Bonus tip: Even if you do all these things, the final offer decision is still unpredictable. That’s why job search is still a numbers game – you want multiple opportunities in play at all times. You want quality AND quantity. Show business is just as unpredictable, so luckily Akon seemed ready to hire Jessica, regardless of whether Idol works out. Hopefully, she got his contact information. Even when a job offer seems imminent, you want other options.